Overkill Slays Thanks to Clever Cast and Quips

Alleged serial killer Henry “The Overkiller” Graham sits on death row partaking of his last meal (a Hot Pocket) and awaiting his just deserts.  All too soon, he’s led to the room where he’ll pay for his crimes — by being married off to his groupie-turned-fiancee Carrie… a girl more inclined to swoon over crime scene photos than flowers or chocolates.  We’ll soon learn that electrocution may have been the gentler option for Henry than lifelong vows to this bloodthirsty chick. The hot seat in the background serves as both authentic thematic wedding decor and fitting metaphor, because it turns out that Carrie will forgive Henry nearly anything — except his protestations of innocence.

And so begins Overkill: A Love Story, a genuinely funny comedy in which the standard “boy meets girl” premise is cleverly skewered — and then beaten, deep-frozen and left for dead in a ditch.  (You see, the central character of this saga reputedly likes to dispatch his victims using as many simultaneous methods as possible.)  It’s Henry’s heavy-handed M.O. from which the nickname “The Overkiller,” and many of the show’s most entertaining moments, are derived.  Future episodes promise to expand upon that as Henry’s appeal is granted and he becomes a free man intent on embarking upon a “normal” life, much to his wife’s dismay.

It would perhaps be more shocking if the series wasn’t funny, given that the creative forces behind Overkill are wielding nearly impeccable comedic pedigrees.  The writing/directing duo of Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia have had a long history of serving up memorable comedic riffs on Murphy Brown, The Simpsons, and That 70s Show,  to name but a few.  The cast also consists of mostly seasoned pros:  Allison Munn (who plays Carrie) delivers as the predatory bride whose bloodlust replaces the more typical wedding night surge of plain old vanilla horniness, and Tom Arnold provides a deft touch (yes, he’s capable of it) as Carrie’s alarmingly even-keeled dad, who manages to find solace in the fact that at least Henry is Catholic. Among his talented and more experienced co-stars, relative newcomer Brendan Brandt is also well cast as the wide-eyed boy ingenue whose alleged crimes serve as the raison d’etre for the flurry of lunatics surrounding him.

As of this writing, only four episodes of Overkill are in the can — two of which are now available, with the third running next Thursday, and the fourth coming shortly thereafter.  However, rumor has it that another dozen or so episodes may be in the works from 60Frames Entertainment.  Fingers crossed that additional installments beyond the currently allotted four do see the light of day, because this is web comedy at its best:  fast-paced, fresh and truly funny.